our best friends

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Boston's fatorangecat studio has a wonderful blog where photographer Li Ward posts some of her most spontaneous work (like the time her furry subject got all tangled up with Cameron Diaz). Ranging from the absurd to the poignant, Li's photos capture what we love best about our pets. (I'm pretty sure the cats above are plotting our demise as a species for subjecting them to years of heinous indignity.)

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I'm a kitten person, not a puppy person, but these photos are adorable!

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Perhaps the most poignant of all Li's work is this candid shot of Kepler, an aging Weimeraner:

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Looking at this photo makes me tear up every time. The dog is so completely alone - it's a stunning representation of what chronic illness does to one's psyche. Yet the wheeled contraption testifies to a loving owner off-camera, who is doing everything he can to provide his companion with a good life, and relative freedom.

Unfortunately, when Li contacted the owner to send him prints of the photos, she learned Kepler had recently died. I hope he found this wonderful photo comforting.

Visit fat orange cat studio for more of Li Ward's photography - don't miss her end-of-year review blog posts.

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